Apple changed the game by covering the touch screen of its iPhone in glass. However, it’s been problematic for some users, who have destroyed their smartphones by dropping them, thus shattering the screen and case.
Well, the tech giant wants to fix that problem, pouring $700 million into the use of sapphire to make their phones more durable and resistant to cracking, reports the Wall Street Journal.
The report says sapphire-display iPhones are expected to roll off production lines sometime this month in an Arizona facility that Apple opened with materials manufacturer GT Advanced Technologies Inc. (GTAT). At the facility, both companies are producing synthetic sapphire, designed to replicate the properties of one of the hardest minerals on earth. Sapphire doesn’t crack or scratch as easily as glass… and withstands high temperatures and resists chemical corrosion.
However, synthetic sapphire is costly, used mostly in airplane windows, armored vehicles and a scratch-resistant watch covers.
Sapphire is already used on iPhone’s camera lens and fingerprint reader, but broader use could raise the cost of the iPhone.
Apple has yet to make any announcement. Stay tuned…